


Of Dresses and Rallies Against Rape

by CJ_fics



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Mentions rape culture, Protest against sexual violence, olicity - Freeform, political activism, unestablished relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 12:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2851145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_fics/pseuds/CJ_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Give me a good reason why I should wear a dress</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Dresses and Rallies Against Rape

"Guys, you know, you have to do this," Felicity says with a grim voice, "It’s for a good cause and we have to support Thea. This is important."  
  
"I know! I know, Blondie! But argh!" Roy throws his hands up in the air in exasperation and then buries them in his hair as if pulling on it would relieve him of the idea.  
  
She turns her attention to Oliver and Diggle, both whom had yet to react to Felicity’s statement. Though with their arms folded in front of their chests, their clenched jaws and the exhale of air through their noses, she can guess what they thought about it.   
  
_'It'_ was attending a demonstration at in front of the Starling City Hall to protest against wave of sexual assault that had victimised five female students from Starling City University, and a right-wing TV show anchor’s comments that implied that the young women had made themselves vulnerable to rape because of the way they dressed.

Thea Queen, who had been back in Starling City for over a year, enrolled for her first semester at SCU, away from her biological father’s clutches, and well on her way back into becoming the hopeful, confident and happy young woman she had always wanted to be, was organising the series of such demonstrations all over the SCU campus and major streets in Starling City in support of the five rape victims and against that anyone who said that the victims were to be blamed for being raped.   
  
The planned demonstration in front of city hall was promising to be the biggest one yet. For every protest that Thea and her friends organised, they gained more supporters. From a few fellow female SCU students and some friends (including Felicity, Lyla and Laurel, when they could spare the time) attending the demonstrations, the numbers has grown to include a whole age range of women and men from different walks of life. They were gaining momentum, and the city hall protest would be key in their campaign.  
  
The issue that her teammates were having with attending the demonstration was the dress code.

Thea and her friends, some of whom were staunch male feminists, in the effort to catch the mainstream media’s attention to their cause, had planned Friday’s demonstration as a combination of the SlutWalk and the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaigns. What that meant was that everyone attending the protest will have to wear their skimpiest clothes, and all the men would have to wear heels. Well, they really would not have to, but it was highly encouraged.  
  
Felicity could tell that both Oliver and Digg were mentally shoring up their arguments against her idea, so before any of them could speak, Felicity said, “If you’re going to excuse yourselves from doing this — you know, the right thing, the thing that not only shows how much you support Thea, but shows how much you support the women in your lives — by saying that you’ve already contributed to the cause by catching the rapists, don’t!”  
  
"We’re not saying that, Felicity," Oliver responds, exhaling heavily, and approaching her.   
  
"Then why are you hesitating?" Felicity counters, standing from her computer chair.   
  
They were at the lair. It was a quiet early evening. Thea had just dropped in for a few minutes to tell them (Felicity, mostly) about the plans for the rally on Friday.

"You know, there have been criticisms about the whole SlutWalk movement," Digg says, "It’s been said that it was using male-defined vocabulary and it trivialised rape. Do we want to be part of something like that?"  
  
"I understand, Digg," Felicity responds, "But this was the approach that the organisers have chosen, and it would get the media mileage, for sure. And I really think that we should support it."  
  
"Why?" Roy whined, his hands still buried in his hair.  
  
"Because I would hope that Team Arrow would be against the idea of rape, and the idea that how a woman chooses to dress is somehow a justification for her being raped!" Felicity reasons, passionately.   
  
"Of course, we are, Felicity," Oliver says, his hands reaching out to cup her shoulders.  
  
"I can sense a ‘but’ on it’s way," Felicity says, shaking his hands off of her. She refused to be placated, "Why wouldn’t you do it? Why wouldn’t you come support a cause like this? Why wouldn’t you support something Thea has worked so hard for?"  
  
"Because it’s stupid!" Roy exclaims, "Going to a protest in skimpy outfits and high heels! It’s stupid!"  
  
"It’s not! You won’t be the only ones going to the demonstration in those clothes! I’ll be wearing heels and something skimpy, too! Granted, I won’t be attending in my underwear as some people are planning to do. I—"  
  
"You are not going out in public in your underwear, Felicity!" Oliver argues, his jaws and fists clenched.   
  
"I already said I wasn’t, Oliver! But don’t think for a second that it’s because you said so," Felicity warns, stepping closer to Oliver. She shoves her pointer finger in his chest, "For the record, you can NOT tell me what I can and can NOT wear, Oliver Queen!"  
  
"Hey, hey, let’s not lose sight of what this about," Digg interjects quietly. He knows that if he doesn’t intervene World War Ten (or was it Twelve) would start between Oliver and Felicity, ending with his two partners giving each other the silent treatment whilst looking longingly at the other when the other was not looking, until someone (Oliver, almost always) works up the nerve to apologise, and the two of them would go back choking the rest of their team with their sweetness and unresolved sexual tension.  
  
"So what exactly is so abhorrent about this protest?" Felicity asks, stepping back from Oliver.  
  
"What’s abhorrent about it, Felicity, is that we have to come in dresses!" Roy shouts, "Why do we have to humiliate ourselves in order to show our support?"  
  
Felicity turns to glare at Roy, “Who says you’re humiliating yourselves? Is it humiliating to wear dresses? To wear heels? Wow, I didn’t realise I have been humiliating myself all these years!”  
  
"You’re missing the point that we’re men. Dressing up like a woman is not something we do everyday," Oliver tries to reason.   
  
"And I’m not asking you to wear dresses everyday, Oliver! I’m just questioning why Roy thinks the idea is stupid and humiliating," Felicity argues back, "You know what? All right. None of you are attending the rally on Friday. That’s fine. I understand that you’re all too macho to behoove yourselves to wear women’s clothes and shoes. Because apparently, your masculinity is more important than protesting against gender-based violence, and showing your support for Thea. Fine!"  
  
Felicity turns away to angrily sit back on her chair and start monitoring her system for any cases they will need to address tonight.  
  
"Felicity," Oliver sighs and take a few more steps towards her, "Hey, look, I’ll be there on Friday, OK? Of course, I’ll be there. Because it’s important, and—"  
  
"You can take that patronising tone and shove it where I can’t hear it, Oliver Queen," Felicity warns calmly, not looking away from her monitors, "I don’t need to be placated."  
  
"I’m not—"  
  
"You are. Stop it. Be there or don’t be there. Whatever," she says with finality. Then she stands up and gathers her things, "Looks like a quiet night, boys. I’m heading out. I’ll be monitoring the system from my tablet. Will ping you, if something comes up."  
  
Before any of them could react, she’s up the stairs and out the door.  
  
"What the fuck just happened?" Oliver questions, a definite whine in his voice. 

"I think, we’re off the hook," Roy says hopefully, "She—"

"Shut up, Roy!" Oliver and Diggle shout in unison.

 _Dammit._  
————————————————  
  
It’s Friday morning and Felicity’s running late.   
  
The team had been up late Thursday night — or very early Friday morning — intercepting an arms shipment from the East Coast to the Triad, and apprehending the criminals involved for the SCPD to jail. Felicity had barely four and a half hours of sleep in her system. But she’s all coffee’d up and ready.   
  
None of her teammates broached the subject of today’s rally with her, and she didn’t volunteer any of her further thoughts on it. Yes, she was kind of disappointed that they were not supportive of the demonstration, but she knew that they supported the cause but that it was also kind of unrealistic to expect men like Oliver, Diggle and Roy to get dressed up and wear heels. So she kept her mouth shut. They had, after all, caught the rapists, and had continued to apprehend such criminals, so that’s their contribution to the cause. And that was enough.  
  
Brushing away the thought of her alpha male teammates, she rushes to the parking lot in front of city hall where the protest will start.   
  
"You’re here!" Thea exclaims, hugging Felicity close. Thea’s all hyper and excited. So much so that Felicity feels herself waking up a bit more.  
  
She waves to Lyla, who was busy leading the placard-making. She also spots Carly, handing out coffee to some of the volunteers who were there earlier.  
  
"Yep! Tell me what you need from me," Felicity responds. She had volunteered to help set up before the demonstration officially began at ten a.m.  
  
The plan was for most of the protesters to meet up at city hall at ten a.m., then march around Starling City, and circle back to city hall by one o’clock. Some of the other folks attending the rally promised to meet up with the group as they marched. But before that, they needed to call attention to what was happening. So some soapbox time for Thea and the rest of the organisers before the march began.   
  
"The sound system we managed to get is pretty archaic," Thea says, pointing to the aforementioned equipment  
  
"I’m on it," Felicity nods, heading to where Thea was pointing.  
  
As soon as Felicity has the sound system set up for both the impromptu stage that has been set up, and the bullhorns for the organisers to use during the march, she went to attend to making sure that protest would be live-streamed and the protesters had sufficient mobile internet access so they can use their social media spaces to call attention to the cause. By the time she finished, it was fifteen minutes to ten. She had to get dressed.  
  
"Thea, I’m going to get some coffee and use the cafe’s restroom to get dressed," Felicity tells the younger woman.   
  
Thea was already dressed in a sequined, bustier-style mini-dress and tall heels. Next to her, the rest of the organisers and the early birds were dressed in different versions of ‘sluttiness’ and different heel heights. There were some in their underwear, some in their clubbing clothes, some in bathing suits, some in S&M gear, some in baby doll dresses, some in superhero costumes, and some dressed as nuns. Women and men alike.   
  
It was looking like it was going to be a successful day.  
  
By the time Felicity had left the cafe, dressed in very short denim cut-offs, a white wife-beater that was loose enough to show her red bra, and her ruby red strappy heels, the number of people at the rally had increased. She headed closer to the stage.  
  
"Felicity," a voice rang out. It was Laurel, standing with her colleagues from the D.A.’s office. Laurel was dressed in skintight, brown leather dress.  
  
"Hey, Laurel," Felicity nods at the other woman and her friends, "The D.A.’s office closed for the day?"  
  
"Well, some of us decided to take the day off. Important cause and all," Laurel responds. After a few more words, and an introduction to Laurel’s colleagues, Felicity makes her way back to the stage.  
  
She sees Lyla on the way. Lyle, the confident woman that she is, is wearing a dark red spandex bodysuit with stiletto knee high boots.  
  
"Hey, girlie," Lyla greets Felicity, pulling her in for a brief hug, then hands Felicity a placard that says, ‘Don’t tell me how to dress. Tell men not to rape’. Lyla has her own placard leaning against her leg, ‘End Rape Culture’.  
  
"Nice," Felicity says as she sees what the placards say.  
  
Carly joins them soon after, wearing her Big Belly Burger waitress uniform and black stilettos, and carrying a sign, ‘No means NO’.  
  
The three women were busy discussing the latest news about the upcoming trial of the three men who raped the five SCU students, and ranting against the right-wing TV personality and those coming to his defense, when they hear Thea’s voice ring out, “Oh, my god!”  
  
"There!" Lyla, who's inches taller than Felicity and Carly, point to where Thea is. Felicity rushes towards Thea, worried that something had upset the younger woman, with Lyla and Carly right behind her. As soon as she gets a good view of Thea, Felicity turns to where Thea looking and gapes.  
  
There, standing a few feet from Thea are Oliver, Diggle and Roy in dresses and high heels. Oliver was wearing a hot pink, sleeveless, v-necked mini dress, Digg was in a leopard-print, sweetheart-cut dress that showed off his impressive shoulders and arms, and Roy was baby doll type peach dress. All of them were wearing the same style of heels — standard black pumps. Felicity reckons they got the heels at the same store, at the same time.  
  
Thea eventually gets over her shock, and rushes into her brothers arms, “Ollie! You made it!”  
  
Then she turns to Digg and hugs him as well. Finally, she looks at Roy and blushes. Roy shyly opens his arms to Thea, and she steps into them.  
  
The two of them were still trying to find their way back to each other. This time, unbeknownst to Oliver and Felicity, agreeing to emulate the other pair by trying to build a friendship and trust before falling into a romantic relationship. Not that Oliver and Felicity were in a romantic relationship at the moment, but everyone and anyone who spent at least ten minutes in their vicinity knew that it was only a matter of time.   
  
Felicity watches with a happy sigh. She can’t believe the boys came through for Thea and for the cause!  
  
"I distinctly remember you saying you weren’t going to be in your underwear today, Felicity. So why is your bra showing?" Oliver questions in a loud, growly voice, heading towards her on shaky legs. Felicity rolls her eyes at him, and decides to meet him half-way. He looked like he would trip, if he took one more step on his own.  
  
"How do you walk in these things?" she hears Digg ask Lyla, who had her arms around his waist, supporting her ex-husband / current boyfriend / baby daddy.  
  
"Carefully and with confidence," Lyla smirks.   
  
Felicity smiles at the exchange.  
  
"You haven’t answered my question," Oliver insists, his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Yes," she answers, challenging him.  
  
He sighs then buries his face in the hair in the back of her ear, “I’m sorry.”  
  
Felicity burrows closer to him, “I’m glad you’re here. I can’t believe you’re here, to be honest.”  
  
"Well, I’m not so macho that I would refuse to participate in an important protest that means so much to the two women I love the most," he whispers, smiling against her hair.  
  
"Hmm. Well, I think it’s extra hot when a guy dresses up in women’s clothing to show his objection to violence against women," Felicity whispers back.  
  
Oliver moves his face away from her hair to look into her eyes, “Yeah?”  
  
"Yep," she smiles.  
  
"Good, I got two more dresses for next demonstration. Surely, rotating three dresses for these things is acceptable, no?" Oliver confirms, his voice and his face serious.  
  
Felicity buries her face in his neck as she nods her head in response, “Totally acceptable.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fic prompt from a friend on Tumblr.
> 
> Original post: http://outoftheclosetshipper.tumblr.com/post/95557802983/team-arrow-or-olicity-as-you-wish-give-me-one
> 
> I really tried to not make the whole thing about men wearing dresses a funny thing. Because I don't think men in dresses something to poke fun at. I hope I achieved that here.


End file.
